Rösti

Rösti is a simple, buttery and fragrant national dish of Switzerland, a crispy crusted potato pancake with an appetizing golden color. It is a great side dish to traditional Swiss delicacies such as leberspiesschen (grilled calves' livers wrapped in bacon and sage) or émincé de veau. The potatoes for rösti are boiled, peeled, chilled, grated into long strips, and fried with butter, oil, salt, and maybe a bit of bacon fat. The dish is then cut into wedges and served to hungry consumers. Additionally, herbs, onions, ham, or grated cheese can be added to the dish to enhance its flavors. Rösti was originally consumed for breakfast by farmers from the Swiss canton of Bern, but today it is a popular side dish with lots of variations. For example, Bernese rösti is prepared with bacon, Valaisian rösti with sliced tomatoes and raclette cheese, while Basilean rösti is a mixture of potatoes and sliced onions in a 1:1 ratio.